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rnderwood  A:  Tiiderwood 


A  Shomer 


IN 


Galilee 


A  PALESTINE  PACKET 

A  COLLECTION  OF 
LETTERS  ON  PALESTINE  CONDITIONS 

Published  for 

The  Benefit  of  the  Zionist  Emergency  Fund 

1916 


THE  FEDERATION  OF  AMERICAN  ZIONISTS 
44  East  23rd  Street 
New  York 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

A  Word  from  Ambassador  Morgenthau .  5 

Tue  Spirit  of  the  New  Palestine .  7 

Extracts  from  the  Letters  of  Dr.  Flarry  Friedenwald, 
Baltimore 

.  .  .  But  My  Heart  is  in  the  East .  13 

From  a  Letter  of  Dr.  B.  Mossinsohn,  Jaffa 
(Translated  from  the  Hebrew) 

The  Test  of  Efficiency  of  the  New  Yishub .  21 

Harry  Kaplan,  Cleveland 

To  Palestine  with  the  U.  S.  S.  "Vulcan” .  2G 

Extracts  from  the  Letters  of  Louis  H.  Levin,  Baltimore 

The  Judaean  Colonies  and  the  War  Crisis .  32 

W.  Gluskin,  Rishon  le-Zion 

(Tianslated  from  the  Hebrew) 

The  Death  of  the  Orchard .  39 

Hemda  Ben  Jehuda,  Jerusalem 
(Translated  from  the  Hebrew) 

The  Indictment  of  Zionists  in  Palestine .  43 

M.  Sheinkin,  Jaffa 

(Translated  from  the  Yiddish) 

The  Shomer .  .51 

Mordecai  Bernstein,  Jaffa 

(Translated  from  the  Hebrew) 


4 


A  AVORD  FROM  AMBASSADOR  MORGENTHAU 

I  can  vividly  recall  the  picture  which  the  activities  of 
the  Jewish  colonists  made  upon  my  mind,  as  I  journeyed 
through  Palestine  before  the  war.  The  older  men  were 
contented  and  industrious.  iMany  of  them  told  me  of 
their  prosperity.  They  embraced  the  opportunity  to 
make  themselves  economically  independent.  The  younger 
men  and  women,  brimming  over  with  energy  and  the  joy 
of  free  living,  demonstrated  what  can  be  accomplished 
when  the  shackles  are  removed  and  our  people  are  given 
a  chance  to  develop. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE  NEW  PALESTINE 


By  Dr.  Harry  Friedenwald 

In  reply  to  the  request  of  the  Publications  Committee 
I  am  sending  a  few  extracts  from  letters  written  in  the 
summer  of  1914,  while  I  was  in  Palestine.  Things  have 
changed  since  that  time,  and  conditions  are  so  utterly 
different  that  it  would  be  difficult  for  me  to  put  myself 
back  into  that  hajipy  frame  of  mind  in  which  I  then  found 
myself.  I  shall,  therefore,  let  the  letters  give  impressions 
of  the  Jewish  life  of  Palestine  which  I  love  to  think  of 
now  in  these  troublous  times. 

Jeimna,  July  6,  1914.  .  .  .  Shabbos  morning  I 

went  to  the  little  Shul.  There  was  a  large  number  of 
men  there,  but  many  of  the  young  men  are  not  religious 
and  it  is  against  their  conscience  to  go  to  Shul.  This 
sounds  queer,  but  the  young  workmen,  especially  those 
who  have  come  from  Ru.ssia,  have  brought  with  them  the 
most  radical  views  of  the  radical  Russians.  And  yet, 
with  the  total  absence  of  any  desire  to  participate  in 
religious  services,  they  lead  a  much  more  Jewish  life  than 
our  Jews,  For  their  life  is  Jewish  and  its  atmosphere 
is  Jewish.  I  felt  this  more  than  ever  last  Shabbos.  It 
was  quiet  in  the  village,  the  bustle  and  life  having  ceased; 
not  a  person  nor  an  animal  stirred.  Even  the  dogs  ceased 
barking.  In  the  afternoon,  when  we  were  seated  in  front 
of  the  house,  a  wagon  was  heard  coming  over  the  rough 
stones.  The  villagers  went  down  to  see  what  it  meant. 
Who  could  have  the  impertinence  to  come  to  the  colony 


on  Shabbos?  They  learned  that  it  was  the  Russian 
consul. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  took  a  walk  about  the  colony,  and 
then  went  to  the  threshing  floor,  where  great  heaps  of  grain 
were  lying  ready  to  be  threshed.  AYe  found  the  people 
gathered  in  little  groups  or  walking  about,  and  the  children 
playing,  and  it  was  long  after  dark  when  we  heard  the  first 
noises  indicating  resumption  of  work.  Now  this  is  Shabbos . 

Of  course  many  use  it  simply  in  order  to  rest,  for  they 
work  night  and  day  gathering  the  grain.  It  is  the  hardest 
time  in  the  year,  and  they  are  glad  when  Shabbos  comes. 

Jaffa,  July  20,  1914.  ...  I  need  not  say  that  such 

Shabbosim  as  one  experiences  here  are  unknown  else¬ 
where.  Even  the  most  irreligious  lead  Jewish  lives  at 
least  in  public  and  are  thoroughl}^  Jewish.  It  is  beautiful 
to  see  how  those  who  are  themselves  lax  respect  the  pre¬ 
vailing  opinion.  Tel-Aviv,  which  we  all  know  is  the 
“freest”  place  in  Palestine,  has  a  perfect  Shabbos.  No 
one  would  dare  to  go  out  on  the  street  and  smoke.  Some 
one  played  the  piano,  but  a  complaint  was  made,  and 
now  it  would  be  considered  a  breach  of  good  form  to  play 
piano  on  Shabbos,  even  by  one  who  would  play  cards  or 
write  in  his  own  home.  This  gives  a  notion  of  what  I  mean 
by  the  real  Shabbos.  ...  I  prefer  this,  because  it  is  alive 
and  vigorous,  and  has  the  certainty  of  a  vigorous  future. 

We  spent  two  delightful  evenings  in  Zichron-Jacob,  on 
Friday  at  X’s  and  on  Saturday  at  the  Bet- Am,  where  the 
young  people  meet  and  have  a  splendid  time.  We  found 
them  somewhat  depressed  because  in  a  few  days  thirty- 


S 


The  Architect’s  House  in  Zichron-Jacob 

four  of  their  numljer  must  present  themselves  for  army 
service.  But  in  spite  of  this  they  were  quite  happy,  and 
showed  their  courage  and  enthusiasm  in  several 
speeches.  They  plajmd  games  and  sang,  and  altogether 

I  am  in  love  with  them.  I  told  A .  that  I 

admired  the  products  of  their  work  and  their  farms  and 
their  orchards.  But  the  best  products  I  have  seen  in 
Palestine  are  these  boys  and  girls,  healthy,  strong,  fine 
looking  and  vigorous  specimens  of  Jewish  manhood  and 
womanhood.  I  hope  to  live  to  see  a  great  many  more  of 
them.  Unfortunately  a  number  of  young  men  have  left 
the  colonies  and  gone  to  foreign  lands.  But  I  hear  that 
they  are  coming  back:  “They  hear  the  East  a-calling, 
and  can’t  ’eed  nothing  else.”  Alany  of  them  are  good- 


9 


looking.  Bvit  better  than  their  looks  and  their  strength 
and  their  courage  is  that  Jewish  spirit,  the  Maccabaean 
spirit,  the  love  of  their  land  and  their  people — for  that 
is  the  main-spring  of  all  their  activity  and  all  their  thoughts 
and  hopes.  I  am  sure  that  we  shall  hear  great  things 
from  these  men  and  women  some  day.  They  will  show 
the  world  what  straight-backed,  courageous  spirited  Jews 
are,  and  what  they  can  do. 

Rehobot,  July  24,  1914.  .  .  .  The  weather  is  warm; 

it  is  hot  in  the  sun,  but  not  more  so  than  at  home,  and 
altogether  quite  comfortable.  The  inn  at  this  little  place 
is  good  and  clean,  and  the  people  we  meet  are  fine  speci¬ 
mens.  It  is  wonderful  to  hear  the  experiences  of  the  early 
settlers,  how  they  lived  in  hovels  and  cellars  in  which 
there  was  water  even  in  summer.  iVIy  friend  Mr. 

E . ,  his  family,  and  another  man  and  his  family 

were  together  in  Vadi  el-Hanin.  His  comrade  was  mur¬ 
dered  by  the  Arabs,  and  E .  was  left  to  care 

for  both  families.  One  of  his  children  fell  into  the  water 
in  the  underground  hole  in  which  they  lived  for  a  while, 
and  was  almost  drowned.  Another  child  got  sore  eyes, 
and  there  was  no  physician.  So  iMrs.  E .  car¬ 

ried  the  little  one  in  her  arms  to  Rishon  every  day,  (it 
takes  an  hour  and  a  half  in  a  wagon  now,)  and  had  to 
stay  out  in  the  hot  sun,  because  the  people  there  were 
afraid  of  the  disease.  It  is  marvelous  to  listen  to  these 
tales  and  to  look  into  the  sturdy  faces,  and  to  see  the 
deep  graven  furrows,  the  evidence  of  the  hard  times  and 
the  arduous  experiences  through  which  these  people  have 
passed.  I  have  a  profound  admiration  and  respect  for 


10 


them.  I  feel  a  deep  humility  when  I  gaze  at  these  pioneers 
and  realize  that  they  are  whole-hearted  Jews,  real  Jews 
in  every  sense.  I  wish  I  could  be  with  them  more,  and 
could  contribute  something  to  the  great  work  of  building 
up  a  true  Jewish  communitj^  I  fully  realize  the  diffi¬ 
culties  and  even  the  dangers  before  which  we  stand,  and 
I  know  there  is  not  a  single  thing  which  we  have  done 
which  is  without  serious  defects;  and  yet  I  feel  assured 
that  there  are  great  possibilities  within  our  reach,  and 
that  the  future  depends  chiefly  on  our  own  efforts  and 
the  wisdom  Avith  which  we  proceed. 

August  3,  1914.  ...  I  went  to  the  Wailing  Wall 

on  Tisha  be-Ab.  They  say  that  the  services  used  to  be 
more  impressive,  but  that  fewer  of  the  old  people  come 
now  as  a  result  of  recent  disturbances.  Still  there  were 
a  number  of  the  old  school  sitting  on  the  ground  and 
reading  prayers  by  the  light  of  little  candles  and  lamps; 
and  in  the  background  there  stood  a  number  of  shomrim 
from  the  colonies.  The  moon  was  shining  brightly  and 
from  time  to  time  one  caught  snatches  of  the  plaintive 
melodies.  But  I  was  not  able  to  get  into  the  proper 
“Stimmung”,  the  feeling  which  I  had  expected,  and  which 
I  should  have  liked  to  have.  It  left  me  rather  cold. 
Perhaps  I  could  not  divest  mj^self  of  the  conviction  that 
by  prayer  alone  we  cannot  accomplish  our  restoration. 
I  do  not  know  whether  we  modern  people  have  lost  the 
faculty  of  profound  devotion,  the  ‘‘Kavanah”  of  our 
fathers.  Not  by  prayer  alone,  but  by  sacrifice  and  hard 
work  and  intelligent  effort  must  we  seek  to  build  up  the 
ruins  and  remove  the  waste.  And  yet,  standing  here  two 


11 


thousand  five  hundred  j'ears  after  the  destruction  of  the 
first  Temple,  at  the  sight  of  the  ruin  of  that  which  was 
the  glory  of  our  land  and  the  inspiration  of  the  world, 
one  cannot  but  be  impressed  by  the  wonder  and  the 
miracle  of  the  preservation  of  this  little  people,  through 
all  the  vicissitudes  that  they  have  gone  during  the  ages; 
of  their  still  living  and  having  energy  to  work,  and  devo¬ 
tion  to  pray,  of  their  still  having  the  hope  to  revive  and 
again  to  take  a  place  of  honor  in  the  society  of  nations. 
The  great,  the  massive  blocks  which  form  the  base  of  the 
“Kotel  ha-Maaravi”,  the  Western  wall,  are  still  there, 
strong,  unshaken  by  time  and  by  earthquakes,  an  emblem 
of  the  strength  that  is  enduring.  The  stranger  passes  by 
without  interest  and  smiles  at  the  spectacle  of  Jews 
praying  beside  the  wall  and  kissing  its  rough  surface. 
But  the  wall  has  endured,  and  the  Jewish  people  are  in 
some  respects  like  it,  strong,  and  enduring,  and  despised. 
But  they  are  also  like  the  Eastern  wall  which  supports 
the  great  “Place  of  the  Omar  Mosque”,  and  helps  to 
bear  up  this  temple  of  a  strange  culture,  just  as  the  Jews 
throughout  the  world  help  to  build  up  and  support  the 
various  cultures  of  strange  peoples,  who  hold  them  under 
subjection. 

Let  us  hope  that  some  day  our  people  will  again  live 
its  own  life,  build  up  its  own  culture,  be  a  pride  to  its 
sons  and  daughters,  and  a  source  of  benefit  and  inspiration 
to  all  the  world. 


12 


.  .  .  BUT  MY  HEART  IS  IN  THE  EAST 
By  Dr.  B.  Mossinsohn 

The  blare  of  trumpets,  the  tumult  of  warfare!  The 
whole  world  is  facing  destruction.  The  civilization  of 
centuries  is  being  crushed  and  trampled  in  the  dust.  It 
seems  as  though  Satan  had  confused  the  peoples  and 
turned  them  blindly  one  against  the  other,  he  himself 
standing  by  and  looking  on  their  misfortune  with  a 
malicious  smile.  In  a  minute  they  destroy  that  which 
generations  have  built  up.  Out  of  this  universal  destruc¬ 
tion  there  issues  a  scarcely  perceptible  moan,  the  moan 
of  the  builders.  They  would  fain  defend  with  their  lives 
that  which  is  infinitely  dear  to  them;  but  they  can  do  no 
more  than  huddle  together  and  gaze  despairingly  on  the 
delicate  blossom  whose  growth  and  development  they 
have  so  lovingly  furthered,  the  blossom  which  they  have 
tended  with  the  sweat  of  their  brow,  the  blood  of  their 
heart,  and  the  marrow  of  their  bone.  They  of  whom  I 
speak  are  the  children  of  the  eternal  people,  who  have  gone 
back  to  the  land  of  their  fathers,  to  erect  a  new  edifice  on 
its  ruins,  and  to  imbue  its  ancient  culture  with  new  life. 

Far  from  the  bustle  and  turmoil  of  Europe,  on  the 
shores  of  the  blue  Mediterranean,  under  the  canopy  of 
the  azure  heavens,  in  the  hills  and  valleys  of  their  ancient 
land,  they  had  sought  to  solve  the  problem  of  their  people, 
and  to  find  rest  for  their  own  souls.  They  knew  nothing 
of  the  envy  and  hatred  which  blind  the  eyes  of  men  and 
provoke  them  to  bloodshed  and  destruction;  and  so  they 
stood  perplexed  and  bewildered.  “Why  all  this  waste 


13 


and  misery?  What  end  does  it  serve?  And  what  is  the 
use  of  building,  of  building  and  creating?” 

But  on  them  too  the  storm  has  broken.  Waves  of 
blood  dash  against  their  shores,  and  pollute  with  crimson 
spray  the  work  of  their  hands.  The  Yishub  and  its  insti¬ 
tutions  are  in  danger.  From  all  sides  they  hear  the  voice 
of  the  Jews  in  the  Diaspora,  urging  that  they  give  up 
the  fight,  that  they  abandon  their  possessions,  and  seek 
shelter,  at  least  for  a  short  time,  until  the  tempest  will 
have  blown  over.  Egypt  is  so  near!  And  boats  are  to 
1)0  had  for  the  asking!  And  in  Egypt  the  flesh-pots  are 
still  to  be  found.  But  though  the  refuge  is  so  near  and 
the  people  in  the  Diaspora  council  flight,  the  builders  of 
the  Yishub  stand  firm.  They  draw  closer  to  one  another, 
and  risk  their  lives  to  protect  the  fruit  of  their  labor. 
But  they  cannot  repress  the  moan  which  bursts  from  their 
aching  hearts.  This  moan  is  not  an  expression  of  weak¬ 
ness,  nor  are  their  outstretched  hands  pleading  for  alms; 
it  is  a  wail  of  anguish  caused  by  the  peril  of  everything 
Avhich  is  precious  and  holy;  it  is  a  proclamation  to  the 
Jews  of  the  Diaspora  that  their  future  is  hanging  in  the 
balance.  It  conveys  to  them  the  murmur  of  the  new  life 
which  is  transfiguring  the  land  of  silence  and  desolation, 
and  tells  of  the  glorious  vision  to  the  realization  of  which 
the  builders  have  unquestioningly  devoted  their  lives. 

And  I,  a  wanderer  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  perceive 
that  this  moan  has  found  an  echo  in  the  hearts  of  the 
children  of  the  DiasjDora.  From  time  to  time  I  see  a 
curious  stirring  in  the  dormant  masses  when  the  name  of 
Erez  Israel  is  mentioned.  It  seems  to  recall  ancient 


14 


memories,  the  hopes  of  thousands  of  years,  perhaps,  too, 
the  dreams  of  jmuth.  Their  breasts  commence  to  heave 
and  their  hearts  throb  violently,  and  tears  spring  to 
their  eyes,  as  if  the  magic  of  that  name  were  waking 
them  from  the  long  sleep  of  the  Exile.  The  j^risoner 
strains  at  his  shackles  and  stretches  his  flabby  sinews. 
The  chains  which  bind  him  reverberate;  but  it  is  a  far 
call  from  the  clanging  of  the  chains  to  the  final  liberation. 

The  people  have  risen  to  the  i)oint  of  making  certain 
sacrifices.  They  count  out  how  much  they  gave  yes¬ 
terday,  how  much  they  gave  in  the  past,  and  how  much 
they  can  safely  spare  in  the  future.  They  jot  down  what 
they  gave  for  this  purpose,  and  what  for  that. 

But  to  real  sacrifice,  to  the  state  of  mind  in  which  one 
soars  far  above  the  trivialities  of  life,  to  the  exaltation 
of  the  spirit  which  ennobles  the  soul,  and  gives  it,  if  only 
for  a  moment,  a  glimpse  of  eternity — no!  to  this  sacrifice 
the  people  have  not  risen!  And  yet  the  dreamers  of 
dreams  in  Palestine  ex])ect  such  a  sacrifice,  a  sacrifice  which 
will  not  only  save  the  Yishub,  but  will  moreover  purify  the 
hearts  of  the  Jews  in  America,  and  unite  the  whole  people 
for  its  ultimate  deliverance  and  spiritual  redemption. 

And  I  am  a  wanderer  on  the  face  of  the  earth!  And 
there  comes  to  my  mind  the  recollection  of  another  con¬ 
flict,  which  took  place  there,  in  the  land  of  our  past  and 
of  our  future,  without  the  clash  of  swords  or  the  ringing  of 
spears;  the  conflict  of  languages.  The  Jewish  organizations 
outside  of  Palestine  had  showered  gold  on  the  Yishub,  and 
the  drops  of  golden  rain,  falling  side  by  side  on  the  ground, 
formed  into  chains,  chains  of  the  spirit.  Each  organization 


15 


brought  with  it  the  language  and  the  culture  of  its  own 
land,  or  rather,  not  the  culture,  but  its  outward  glamor. 
The  Yishub  was  too  young  and  frail  to  reject  the  help  of 
these  organizations,  and  believed,  in  its  simplicity,  that  the 
true  spirit  of  the  land  was  invincible  and  bound  to  triumph. 

The  New  Yishub  had  created  its  own  schools,  in  which 
the  Hebrew  language  had  blossomed  anew,  fragrant  with 
the  essence  of  the  mountains  and  valleys,  of  the  golden 
rays  of  the  sun,  of  the  splashing  of  the  ripples  of  the 
Jordan.  The  successful  revival  of  the  ancient  national 
culture  would,  as  they  hoped,  convince  their  benefactors 
that  they  were  in  the  right.  And  the  benefactors  smil¬ 
ingly  encouraged  them  as  long  as  it  was  to  their  interest 
to  do  so.  So  the  Yishub  overlooked  their  vagaries,  and 
generously  condoned  their  sins. 

And  then  the  momentous  time  was  at  hand  when  the 
fairest  dream  of  the  Yishub  was  to  be  realized — a  great 
technological  institute  was  to  be  established.  A  tech¬ 
nological  institute!  How  sweetly  these  words  sounded 
in  the  ears  of  all  Palestine!  There  were  a  few  who  de¬ 
murred  because  the  organization  which  had  given  the 
funds  insisted  on  seeing  its  own  flag  waving  over  the 
handsome  edifice;  but  their  protestations  were  lost  in 
the  chorus  of  approbation  which  resounded  from  all  sides. 
The  best  workers  and  most  faithful  friends  of  the  Yishub 
gave  themselves  heart  and  soul  to  the  upbuilding  of  the 
new  institute.  We  were  tense  with  expectation,  and  our 
hearts  overflowed  with  joy  and  gratitude.  And  then 
came  the  blow  which  in  a  moment  dashed  our  fondest 
hopes;  here  too,  into  the  very  midst  of  the  Yishub,  a 


16 


strange  language  and  a  strange  culture  were  to  be  forcibly 
introduced;  and  our  erstwhile  co-workers  sat  back  and 
laughed  at  our  discomfiture  and  our  despair,  and  jeered 
at  those  who  had  dreamed  of  a  Hebrew  resurrection. 

Religion  and  physical  training,  they  munificently 
assured  us,  were  to  be  taught  in  Hebrew.  What  was  to 
be  done?  The  real  builders  of  the  Yishub,  the  idealists, 
were  forced  to  retreat  from  the  battle-field  and  to  leave 
the  gross  materialists,  the  purveyors  of  money,  in  full 
control.  But  this  defeat  was  only  temporary.  The  ire 
of  the  Yishub  was  aroused,  and  the  real  struggle  was  only 
to  begin. 

The  conflict  was  ostensibly  a  mere  haggling  over  the 
number  of  subjects  which  were  to  be  taught  in  Hebrew, 
but  in  reality  it  had  a  far  deeper  significance.  Two  differ¬ 
ent  worlds  were  ranged  opposite  one  another  on  the  battle¬ 
field,  “they”,  and  “we”.  “They”  had  come  as  the 
representatives  of  their  country  to  make  unscrupulous 
use  of  the  builders  in  the  land  of  their  fathers,  in  order 
to  force  the  culture  of  a  strange  people  on  us  by  insidious 
means.  What  mattered  it  that  we  had  come  there  to 
revive  the  glorious  culture  of  our  ancestors,  so  that  our 
posterity  might  be  the  free  children  of  a  free  land?  “They” 
took  for  their  maxim:  “Anything  is  good  enough  for  our 
poor  unfortunate  co-religionists  in  the  east.  Let  them 
be  thankful  for  the  crumbs  we  throw  to  them.”  And 
“we”  said:  “Nothing  is  too  good  for  the  first  generation 
of  the  redemption!  We  gladly  give  the  best  of  our 
strength,  the  very  marrow  of  our  bones,  so  that  they 
may  flourish  and  prosper.”  “They”  reiterated:  “But 


17 


it  was  we  who  gave  the  money,  and  therefore  you  have 
no  right  to  interfere,”  And  “we”  cried  to  them  in  turn; 
“Keen  your  gold!  W(!  will  not  sell  the  souls  of  our 
children.” 

The  whole  Yishul)  took  part  in  the  conflict,  from  the 
teachers  at  their  desks  to  the  working-people,  pickaxe 
in  hand,  who  had  hewn  the  new  language  out  of  the  very 
rocks  of  the  Land  of  Israel.  Even  the  patient  and  long- 
suffering  farmers  remembered  how  they  had  been  bound 
by  the  golden  chains  of  their  “protectors”,  and  eagerly 
joined  the  ranks. 


The  Hebrew  Gymnasia  “Herzlia”  in  Tel-Aviv 


“Our  own  schools  for  our  own  children!”  Such  was  the 
watchword  of  the  day.  And  it  was  the  Yishub,  feeble 
and  poor  in  resources,  that  provided  the  necessary  means 


18 


for  carrying  on  the  conflict.  I  shall  always  remember 
a  certain  meeting  in  the  hall  of  the  Hel)rew  Gymnasia 
in  Jaffa,  where  the  teach('rs  of  the  Gymnasia  and  of  th(' 
Girls’  School,  as  well,  as  several  men  connected  with 
l)edagogic  activities  had  gathered  to  discuss  the  situation 
with  the  teachers  of  the  “Esra”.  It  was,  of  course,  indis¬ 
putable  that  these  last  would  have  to  resign  their  positions 
and  go  on  strike  in  order  to  voice  their  protest  against 
the  introduction  of  a  foreign  language.  But  how  were 
they  to  live?  This  seemingly  unanswerable  question 
plunged  the  whole  assembly  into  gloom.  Suddenly  one 
of  the  men  rose  to  his  feet  and  cried;  “We  can  share 
our  bread  with  them!”  And  nothing  further  was  said. 
The  problem  had  been  successfully  solved,  and  the  situa¬ 
tion  was  saved.  Most  of  the  teachers  agreed  to  con¬ 
tribute  one  half  of  their  salaries  to  the  fund,  although 
the  whole  barely  sufficed  to  keep  the  wolf  from  the  door. 
But  they  were  all  oblivious  of  this  consideration;  and 
with  the  same  unquestioning  strength  of  purpose  the 
“Esra”  teachers  gave  up  their  positions  without  a  murmur. 

And  it  was  on  this  foundation  of  enthusiasm  and 
courage  that  the  new  Hebrew  schools  were  erected. 
The  words  which  had  been  spoken  at  that  memorable 
gathering  re-echoed  throughout  all  Palestine.  “We  can 
share  our  bread  with  them!”  The  townspeople  and  the 
farmers,  the  laborers  and  the  schoolchildren  outdid  one 
another  in  their  eagerness  to  help  support  the  teachers 
who  had  resigned  their  positions. 

Then  for  the  first  time  I  grasped  the  significance  of  a 
national  sacrifice;  then  indeed  did  I  realize  what  it  means 


19 


to  form  part  of  a  living  nation,  and  to  remain  serene  and 
happy  even  in  times  of  stress. 

Soon  we  were  assisted  by  symi)atliizers  in  other  e.oun- 
tries,  notably  in  those  whieh  are  now  submerged  in  blood 
and  groaning  under  the  leaden  yoke  of  oppression.  We 
welcomed  this  help  and  rejoiced  to  find  that  our  battle- 
cry  had  found  an  echo  in  the  hearts  of  the  faithful  in 
the  Diaspora.  And  yet  we  were  almost  sorry  that  the 
renunciation  which  had  filled  us  with  pride  and  exultation 
was  no  longer  necessary. 

And  then  came  the  great  war.  Life  in  Palestine  was 
at  a  standstill.  Teachers  and  pupils  were  menaced  by 
starvation  and  danger  of  death.  But  the  schools  re¬ 
mained  open,  and  the  air  was  filled  with  the  prattle  of 
children — and  the  voice  of  the  children  is  the  living  voice, 
proof  positive  and  indubitable  that  our  labor  has  not 
been  in  vain. 

The  bell  of  the  Gymnasia  is  still  ringing — the  Yishub 
still  persists.  '^Come  what  may,  we  will  not  desert  our 
post!”  These  words  resound  every  morning  through 
the  streets  of  Tel-Aviv.  And  in  Jerusalem  too  they 
hearken  to  the  bell  of  the  Hebrew  Seminary,  and  are 
filled  with  renewed  courage  by  its  cheering  tones.  The 
ringing  of  the  bells  is  wafted  over  the  boundless  ocean 
and  lingers  in  my  ears.  And  I  hearken  to  its  notes,  and 
weave  them  into  the  fabric  of  my  dream.  Grant  me  a 
moment’s  peace!  Let  me  drink  from  the  fountain  of 
life! 

,  .  .  And  I  am  a  wanderer  on  the  face  of  the  earth! 


20 


THJ^:  TEST  OF  EFFICIENCY  OF  THE 
NEW  YISHUB 


By  Harry  Kaplan 

There  was  no  war  cloud  on  the  horizon  when  we  arrived 
in  Jaffa  in  Oecember,  1913.  Everything  was  busy  and 
prospering.  In  Tel-Aviv  as  many  as  twenty  dwellings 
were  building  at  one  time,  but  when  we  tried  to  rent  one, 
we  found  that  they  had  all  been  spoken  for  ahead.  It 
was  not  unusual  to  see  a  family  move  into  a  house  before 
the  doors  and  windows  were  in.  We  had  to  put  iij)  at  a 
l^rivate  hotel  for  ten  weeks  before  we  could  get  an  oiffion 
on  a  dwelling.  Naturally  this  great  demand  caused  the 
price  of  food  and  rents  to  jump  high,  so  high  that  by 
Shevuot  a  number  of  Gymnasia  students  put  up  tents  on 
the  sand  dunes  near  Hevrah-Hadashah,  and  lived  in  them 
because  they  would  not  pay  the  liigh  rent  that  was  charged. 

People  came  to  Palestine  from  all  over,  some  as  tourists, 
some  to  buy  land,  some  to  develop  industries  and  settle 
there.  For  Pesach  there  were  such  numbers  of  new 
people  that  it  was  impossible  to  accommodate  them. 
When  we  pointed  out  these  facts  to  the  opponents  of  the 
New  Yishub,  they  would  say,  “Things  are  all  right  as 
long  as  everything  runs  smoothly,  and  every  one  looks 
forward  to  a  l)right  future;  but  these  people  are  loosely 
thrown  together.  They  come  from  diverse  conditions, 
and  are  the  products  of  different  cultures.  If  an3dlnng  un¬ 
foreseen  happens  it  will  all  burst  like  a  soai)-bubble.  Such 
])Cople  would  not  be  efficient  in  handling  emergencies.’^ 


21 


Coiiyriglit  liy 
I'lulerwood  A  I’mlei  wood 


The  Harbor  of  Jaffa 


News  came  that  Austria  had  declared  war  on  Serbia. 
We  paid  small  attention  to  this,  for  they  were  far  away 
and  did  not  concern  us  materially.  Even  when  Russia 
and  Germany  intervened  we  shrugged  our  shoulders  and 
went  on  working.  IRit  when  England  declared  war,  and 
a  moratorium  was  suddenly  put  on  all  the  banks  under 
English,  French,  and  German  control — and  these  were 
the  only  i)owerful  financial  institutions  in  Palestine — 
then  we  felt  it  pretty  keenly.  Money  we  could  not  get, 
there  were  no  boats  to  bring  us  food  anti  call  for  our  prod- 


22 


nets,  and  the  Turkish  government  started  to  mobilize. 
Then  we  saw  that  the  war  was  coming  to  us  too. 

For  a  few  days  we  were  dismayed  and  paralyzed.  But 
soon  we  began  to  organize.  It  was  not  necessary  to  call 
mass  meetings,  nor  to  urge  people  to  help  us,  nor  to  appeal 
to  their  patriotic  sentiments.  We  got  together  quietly 
and  each  one  of  us  put  himself  in  the  place  for  which  he 
was  most  fitted.  We  formed  Le-Hacalat-Hamachber 
which  was  divided  into  committees  and  different  depart¬ 
ments.  There  was  a  department  of  loans,  Ha-Milvah, 
which  was  of  the  greatest  assistance  to  people  who  had 
houses,  papers,  and  valuables,  as  they  could  give  a  security 
for  the  money  they  received,  and  so  were  not  compelled 
to  accept  charity.  There  was  a  department  which  bought 
food  and  the  other  necessities  of  life. 

As  with  one  or  two  exceptions  all  private  undertakings 
had  stopped,  a  department  of  public  work  was  created, 
so  that  the  people  could  work  for  their  money  instead  of 
receiving  it  as  charity.  There  was  also  the  Vaad  ha- 
Lechem,  which  rented  bake-ovens,  and  with  the  grain 
and  flour  that  the  buying  department  had  procured  they 
baked  bread  and  sold  it  at  cost  price.  Then  the  Vaad 
ha-Hanut  opened  stores  in  three  districts  at  which  food 
was  sold  at  cost  price  plus  10%  for  losses  and  running 
expenses.  These  stores  not  only  helped  the  population, 
but  regulated  the  prices  for  the  store-keepers  who  had 
begun  to  charge  exorbitantly  for  their  goods.  A  cheap 
restaurant  was  organized,  which  furnished  a  wholesome 
meal  for  three  cents,  as  well  as  a  tea-room  run  by 
the  ladies  of  Tel- Aviv,  and  another  restaurant  which 


23 


furnished  meals  at  cost  price.  With  the  exception  of  this 
last-named  restaurant  all  these  organizations  were  taken 
over  by  the  American  Relief  Committee  when  Turkey 
entered  the  war. 

The  Anglo-Palestine  Bank  had  become  the  most  power¬ 
ful  financial  institution  in  Palestine,  perhaps  not  so  much 
in  capital  as  in  the  number  of  depositors.  It  felt  its 
responsibility  to  its  small  depositors  and  tried  to  help 
them  as  well  as  it  could.  Of  course  the  bulk  of  its  money 
was  in  London,  and  as  it  was  not  able  to  receive  gold 
from  there  because  of  the  war,  and  had  been  ordered  not 
to  pay  out  any  gold,  the  directors  worked  out  a  system 
to  help  their  depositors  without  violating  their  corpora¬ 
tion  laws.  They  issued  certified  checks  in  small  amounts 
in  proportion  to  the  individual  deposits  of  the  creditors. 
It  is  to  be  remarked  that  not  only  the  Jews,  but  also  the 
Arabs  and  Germans,  accepted  these  checks  as  money,  and 
preferred  them  to  checks  issued  by  other  banks. 

In  this  small  space  it  is  impossible  to  give  details  of 
other  organizations  which  sprang  up  after  the  beginning 
of  the  war.  I  may  say,  having  worked  in  several  of  these 
committees,  that  I  never  saw  better  nor  abler  people 
than  my  co-workers,  nor  any  who  worked  in  more  perfect 
harmony.  And  not  only  were  none  of  them  getting  paid 
for  their  work,  but  they  had  the  worry  of  providing  for 
their  own  families,  who  were  in  just  as  precarious  a  con¬ 
dition  as  the  rest  of  the  population.  Nevertheless  they 
stuck  to  their  tasks  from  morning  till  night. 

^Moreover,  although  the  Old  and  the  New  Yishub  were 
not  on  friendly  terms  before  the  war,  yet  when  the  mail 


24 


stopped  bringing  the  monthly  Haliikkah  money  from 
Russia,  Galicia,  Hungary,  Germany  and  England,  and  the 
Ilalukkah  peoi)le  were  penniless  and  on  the  verge  of 
starvation,  the  New  Yishub  immediately  began  to  care 
for  them  as  Avell  as  their  OAvn. 

To  cope  Avith  such  a  calamity,  and  Avitii  as  many 
thousands  of  penniless  people  our  funds  Avere  insufficient, 
and  we  could  not  begin  to  do  Avhat  we  should  have  done. 
That  is  why  some  people,  ignorant  of  actual  conditions, 
have  criticized  our  Avork  and  continue  to  do  so.  But 
those  of  us  Avho  Avere  there  knoAv  that  the  people  of  the 
NeAv  Yishub  not  only  gave  their  time  and  their  energj^, 
but  went  down  deep  into  their  pockets  at  a  time  when 
they  themselves  Avere  facing  need.  I  knoAv  some  of  them 
Avho  gave  300  and  400  francs  for  the  fund,  and  are  noAv 
in  the  direst  need.  If  the  Provisional  Committee  had 
not  sent  their  aid  in  time  perhaps  the  greater  part  of  the 
JeAvish  population  of  Palestine  AV'ould  have  perished. 

Of  one  thing  Ave  can  have  no  doubt:  the  NeAv  Yishub 
is  efficient  and  able  to  handle  its  affairs;  it  has  stood  the 
test  beyond  expectation. 


TO  PALESTINE  WITH  THE  U.  S.  S.  “VULCAN’’ 
By  Louis  H.  Levin 

lidruL,  April  20,  1015.  .  .  .  The  phigue  of  locusts, 

which  I  first  heard  of  in  Egypt,  I  saw  in  full  operation 
to-day.  I  have  never  witnessed  anything  like  it.  The 
air  was  black  with  them,  and  the  ground  covered  with  their 
droppings.  I  have  been  told  that  all  the  wheat  and  a  good 
many  other  crops  are  gone.  Misfortunes  never  come  singly. 

Jaffa,  April  26,  1915.  ...  I  have  now  been  in 

Jaffa  since  last  Wednesday,  but  our  cargo  has  not  yet 
been  discharged.  We  are  waiting  for  certain  prelimi¬ 
naries  to  be  arranged.  .  .  .  The  city  proper  is  an 

Oriental-looking  place,  with  narrow  and  roughly  paved 
streets,  and  a  population  that  is  picturesque  for  all  its 
rags  and  tatters.  Here  we  see  the  patient  and  willing 
little  donkey,  and  the  camel  surprising  you  by  the  wonder¬ 
ful  adaptation  of  its  anatomy  and  powers  to  the  task 
demanded  of  it.  But  they  are  not  the  only  ones  to  carry 
burdens.  The  Arab  can  carry  a  startlingly  heavy  load. 
He  takes  it  on  his  back,  puts  a  rope  about  it,  and  brings 
the  rope  about  his  forehead,  and  away  he  goes,  as  slow 
and  as  sure-footed  and  as  heavily  laden  as  the  camel. 
And  all  for  a  few  great  big  coppers. 

There  are,  Jewishly  speaking,  two  parts  to  Jaffa — the 
old  city  and  the  suburb  known  as  Tel-Aviv.  The  latter 
portion  of  the  town  is  a  modern  city,  with  nicely  paved 
streets  and  some  really  fine  houses,  and  a  population  that 
is  quite  different  from  anything  that  you  will  meet  else¬ 
where.  Hebrew  is  the  universal  means  of  communication, 


26 


and  the  little  children  prattle  it  in  the  street  eharmingl}", 
ddiere  is  a  very  friendly  spirit  abroad,  and  all  seem  to 
fraternize  in  a  way  that  is  unknown  in  the  Western  world, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  fraternization  jiartakes  of  nothing 
of  that  Jewish  familiarity  which  we  are  wont  to  criticise. 
In  the  evening,  say  at  six  o’clock,  you  will  find  nearly  the 
whole  population  promenading  in  the  cool  air — for  it  is 
cool  here  in  the  evening — and  the  scene  is  one  of  great 
attractiveness.  There  is  really  something  of  the  idyllic 
in  it,  and  they  tell  me  that  the  scene  was  even  more  beau¬ 
tiful  before  the  war  sent  away  some  500  of  the  2,000 
population  of  the  place. 


U.  S.  S.  “Tennessee”  Taking  on  Refugees  in  Jaffa 


27 


Before  the  war  there  wei-e  many  Jewish  tourists,  and 
llic  influx  of  |)eo]Jo  of  means  was  sodding  larger  every 
y('af.  Many  improxa'inents  were  contemplatc'd,  a  larg(' 
moving-picture  house*  had  just  Ix'en  completed,  a  boule¬ 
vard  leading  to  the  sea,  where  bathing  houses  were  to 
have  been  erected  had  been  planned,  a  modern  hotel  for 
visitors,  and  a  new  synagogue — all  these  and  more  were 
in  contemplation,  but  everything  is  at  a  standstill  now. 


Pupils  of  the  Hebrew  Gymnasia 


I  visited  the  schools  to-day,  and  the  Girls’  School  is 
really  a  fine  institution.  It  had  500  girls  before  the  Avar, 


28 


])iit  now  it  has  only  300.  The  girls  look  up-to-date  and 
are  attractive  in  every  way.  Many  of  them  are  the 
children  of  rich  Jtussian  ]airents  who  hav(^  sent  them 
here  to  got  the  education  they  cannot  get  at  home.  The 
same  is  true  of  the  Gymnasia,  whose  attendance  of  800 
has  been  reduced  to  500.  This  is  also  a  fine  school,  and 
the  students  are  a  particularly  fine  body  of  children. 

We  found  in  the  Gymnasia  three  Arab  boys 
who  were  learning  Hebrew  in  order  to  get  an  education, 
and  in  the  Girls’  School  one  lone  little  Christian  girl  was 
acquiring  Hebrew  for  the  same  purpose. 

I  have  met  Dr.  Ruppin  and  other  notables,  and  have 
found  some  very  nice  people.  I  have  been  entertained 
in  homes  in  a  manner  not  surpassed  by  any  of  our  friends 
in  Baltimore. 

We  have  not  yet  landed  our  cargo,  and  now  I  can  see 
that  the  boat  will  go  back  to  Beirut  to  coal  the  “North 
Carolina”  without  unloading.  Preliminaries  have  not 
yet  been  arranged,  and  the  battleship  needs  coal.  We 
hope  that  by  the  time  she  returns  we  shall  be  in  a  position 
to  unload. 

Tomorrow  morning  I  shall  proceed  with  the  American 
consul  by  carriage  to  Jerusalem.  Perhaps  there  we  shall 
be  able  to  make  the  necessary  arrangements.  I  expect 
to  return  in  the  next  few  days,  ready  for  unloading  our 
supplies.  Meanwhile  I  shall  face  the  music  in  the  Holy 
City,  where,  I  am  tokl,  owing  to  the  lack  of  income  from 
Galicia  and  Russia,  the  Halukkah  people  are  in  special 
want.  .  .  .  There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  great 
poverty.  I  hope  we  shall  be  able  to  help  it  a  little. 


29 


Dr.  Glazebrook,  our  Consul  in  Jerusalem,  is  ever  ready 
to  help  ns,  and  we  feel  that  he  is  doing  all  that  he  can. 
VV(^  could  not  have  a  man  more  desirous  of  being  of  service. 
This  fact  ought  to  l)e  made  known. 

Jaffa,  May  5,  1915.  .  .  .  We  are  just  beginning 

to  unload  the  ship — it  took  a  long  time  to  arrive  at  this 
point.  .  .  .  The  country  looks  beautiful,  and  the 

evenings  are  charming.  Things  are  very  quiet,  as  one 
can  well  imagine.  .  .  .  One  cannot  be  here  long 

without  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  this  is  the  land  of 
the  Bible.  We  see  many  things  that  must  have  been 
the  same  as  they  are  now  several  thousand  years  ago. 
The  camel,  the  ass,  the  tent,  the  flock,  and  the  well  still 
figure  largely  in  the  life  and  the  landscape.  And  the 
gardens  of  the  colonists  show  that  this  country  can  indeed 
be  made  to  be  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  .  .  . 

I  saw  Rishon  le-Zion  for  a  few  minutes  Friday,  and  I  spent 
Saturday  in  Rehobot.  I  found  it  a  beautifully  situated 
colony,  and  one  in  which  much  hard  and  intelligent  work 
has  been  done;  but  what  with  the  locusts  and  the  present 
interruption  to  business,  one  does  not  know  what  will 
become  of  it.  One  thing  can  be  said — the  land  can  be 
made  to  yield  wonderful  crops.  And  the  climate  is 
delightful. 

(Upon  his  return  to  America  Mr.  Levin  was  interviewed 
and  made  the  following  remarks:)  The  condition  of  the 
Jews  in  Palestine  is  extremely  bad.  There  is  very  little 
food,  and  what  there  is  can  be  bought  only  at  prohibitive 
prices.  ...  To  add  to  the  critical  situation  the 
locusts  have  destroyed  practically  all  this  year’s  crop. 


30 


.  .  We  encountered  considerable  difficulty  in  securing 

means  for  the  transportation  of  the  supplies  we  had 
brought.  About  the  only  means  of  trans]’)ortation  wer(^ 
camels,  and  these  could  not  be  secured  in  sufficient 
numbers  to  carry  on  our  relief  work  with  the  speed 
desired. 

The  food  we  brought  with  us  furnished  only  temporary 
relief,  and  unless  more  is  sent,  the  thousands  of  destitute 
families  there  face  starvation.  .  .  .  The  people  are 

without  funds,  and  some  lack  even  the  humblest  kind  of 
abode  in  which  to  live.  Many  have  sought  to  escape 
starvation  by  fleeing  to  Alexandria,  where  two  American 
war  vessels  and  a  number  of  Italian  freight  steamers 
have  been  taking  them. 


31 


THE  JUDAEAN  COLONIES  AND  THE  WAR 

URISIS 


JIy  W.  Gluskin 

In  order  to  realize  the  full  effect  of  the  war  upon  our 
colonies  in  Judaea,  and  to  appreciate  the  valiant  resistance 
to  the  war  crisis  on  the  part  of  the  colonies,  it  is  well  to 
recall  l)riefly  the  situation  of  the  New  Yishub  in  Judaea 
prior  to  the  war. 

Alaterially,  the  older  colonists  had  achieved,  during 
the  last  years  preceding  the  war,  a  degree  of  well-being 
and  independence  unprecedented  in  the  annals  of  Pales¬ 
tinian  colonization.  The  economic  crisis  of  ten  or  twelve 
years  ago  had  become  a  thing  of  the  past.  Released 
from  all  philanthropic  supervision,  the  colonists  took  full 
charge  of  their  own  affairs  and  succeeded  in  placing  them 
on  a  sound  foundation. 

The  orange  planters,  almost  without  exception,  were  very 
well  situated.  By  co-operating  for  the  sale  of  their  products, 
after  the  manner  of  the  vine  growers,  through  the  Pardess 
and  Mercas  Associations,  they  managed  to  obtain  good 
prices  for  their  oranges,  thereby  securing  a  good  income 
for  themselves  and  improving  the  value  of  their  possessions. 

The  vine  growers  of  Rishon  le-Zion,  Rehobot,  Vadi 
el-Hanin,  Petah-Tikvah,  Gadrah,  and  Zichron- Jacob 
organized  themselves  long  ago  into  the  Winegrowers’ 
Co-operative  Association,  otherwise  known  as  the  Wine 
Syndicate.  They  make  their  wines  and  cognacs  in 
common  in  the  cellars  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Asso¬ 
ciation  by  Baron  Edmond  de  Rothschild,  and  they 


32 


The  Wine  Cellars  in  Rishon  le-Zion 

dispose  of  their  products  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  mostly 
through  stores  and  agencies  of  their  own.  The  manage¬ 
ment  of  the  cellars  and  the  entire  wine  business  is  in  the 
hands  of  an  Executive  Board  elected  by  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  Association,  at  which  every  member  has  a  vote. 
The  colonists,  through  the  Association,  either  own  or 
control  all  their  important  selling  agencies,  as  the  Carmel 
Wine  Co.  in  America,  the  Societe  Carmel  in  Bussia,  the 
Palestine  Wine  and  Trading  Co.  in  London,  and  the 
Carmel  Oriental  in  Turkey  and  h'gypt.  The  offices  and 
stores  of  the  Association  employ  colonists  liy  preference. 
Thus  the  winegrowers  have  been  getting  the  full  benefit 


33 


of  their  products,  and  this  has  been  of  great  help  to  them 
in  making  their  economic  condition  entirely  secure. 

The  almond  growers  also  had  little  to  complain  of. 
They  had  no  difficulty  in  disposing  of  their  products  at 
good  prices,  mostly  through  the  Carmel  agencies.  Of 
late,  they  too  began  to  organize  for  the  co-operative 
management  of  their  business  affairs.  This  branch  of 
our  plantations  is  developing  rapidly,  many  new  trees 
having  been  planted  during  the  last  years,  and  it  is 
undoubtedly  destined  to  become  an  important  factor  in 
the  colonization  of  Palestine. 

Our  agricultural  colonies  were  still  experiencing  a  certain 
degree  of  want.  Although  their  crops  of  wheat,  barley, 
and  other  grain  were  good,  they  had  to  struggle  hard  for 
their  existence  because  of  heavy  government  taxes. 
Gradually,  however,  their  condition  has  improved  some¬ 
what  by  the  introduction  of  mixed  farming,  these  colonies 
having  added  various  plantations  to  their  grain  fields. 

Simultaneously  with  the  economic  rise  of  the  colonies, 
their  social  and  spiritual  life  developed  wonderfully 
under  the  beneficent  influence  of  the  commercial  and 
educational  facilities  created  by  the  Zionist  institutions 
and  activities.  Good  elementary  schools,  libraries,  study 
circles  and  lecture  courses  in  the  colonies,  as  well  as  high 
schools,  periodicals,  and  an  intense  intellectual  life  in  the 
nearby  cities  have  been  conducive  to  making  life  every¬ 
where  in  Judaea  })leasant  and  interesting. 

Peaceful  life  in  the  colonies  was  further  assured  by 
their  democratic  communal  organization.  All  male  and 
female  residents  who  have  reached  the  age  of  twenty 


34 


share  equally  in  the  annual  direct  elections  of  the  Vaad 
ha-Moshavah  (Council  of  the  Colony).  The  Vaad 
directs  the  cultural  and  hygienic  affairs  of  the  colony, 
treats  with  the  Turkish  officials,  and  arbitrates  disputes 
between  the  colonists  themselves.  A  distinct  Vaad, 
composed  of  delegates  from  the  Councils  of  the  various 
colonies,  with  headquarters  at  Rishon  le-Zion,  attends 
to  general  matters  in  which  all  the  colonies  are  concerned. 

The  rapid  progress  in  all  directions  of  the  modern 
Yishub  did  not  fail  to  attract  many  new  settlers  with  new 
colonizing  schemes.  Jewish  tourists  began  to  visit  Pales¬ 
tine  in  large  numbers  and  were  agreeably  surprised  at 
what  they  saw.  Thus  many  Jews  of  wealth  became 
interested  in  the  further  regeneration  of  the  country. 
The  desire  to  acquire  land  and  found  new  settlements 
has  grown  to  an  appreciable  extent  among  Jews  both  in 
Europe  and  in  America.  New  industrial  enterprises 
followed  one  another,  and  wherever  the  eye  turned  it 
beheld  feverish  activity  and  vigorous  life  pulsating  cour¬ 
ageously  and  hopefully. 

And  into  the  midst  of  all  this  happiness  crashed  the 
dreadful  war. 

The  crippling  of  shipping  facilities  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  war  and  the  ultimate  blockade  of  the  Syrian  ports 
was  the  hardest  blow  to  our  colonies,  which  subsist 
mainly  on  the  export  of  their  products  to  oversea  coun¬ 
tries.  This  has  also  brought  a  dearth  in  certain  foodstuffs 
and  commodities  which  could  no  longer  be  inii)orted. 

Further  hardships  have  befallen  the  colonists  in  the 


35 


form  of  requisitions  by  the  military  authorities  of  horses, 
vehicles,  foodstuffs,  petroleum  and  other  commodities. 

To  intensify  the  gloom  there  came  the  expulsion  of 
Jews  who  were  subjects  of  the  allied  powers,  the  closing 
of  the  banks  of  the  Anglo-Palestine  Co.,  the  persecution 
of  prominent  Zionists — all  of  which  combined  to  disturb 
the  yet  unstable  commercial  and  industrial  life  of  the 
Yishub  and  to  shake  the  confidence  of  the  people.  A 
great  catastrophe  seemed  unavoidable. 

But  here  the  strong  pioneer  spirit  of  the  colonists, 
which  defies  all  obstacles,  has  asserted  itself,  and  the 
colonists  have  given  splendid  proof  of  their  power  of 
resistance  and  of  their  devotion  to  their  land  and  to  their 
ideals.  Firmly  resolved  to  brave  all  difficulties  and 
dangers  they  stuck  to  their  posts,  not  one  of  them  desert¬ 
ing  the  country. 

And  the  difficulties  and  dangers  grew.  During  the 
first  war  year  alone,  the  annual  receipts  of  4,000,000 
francs  from  the  sale  of  oranges,  wine,  and  almonds  had 
fallen  to  one-fourth  of  this  sum  because  of  the  blockade. 
With  the  approach  of  the  second  year  a  locust  plague 
of  unusual  magnitude  greatly  aggravated  the  situation. 
For  three  months  the  colonists,  with  their  wives  and 
children,  and  with  assistance  from  the  nearby  cities, 
fought  this  terrible  plague;  but  the  locusts  did  not 
depart  until  they  had  destroyed  or  seriously  damaged 
all  the  vines,  90%  of  the  orange  trees,  and  50%  of  the 
almond  trees.  As  a  result  of  this  the  income  of  all  our 
planters  in  Judaea  during  the  second  year  of  the  war 
will  hardly  reach  the  insignificant  sum  of  250,000  francs. 


3G 


while  the  repairing  of  the  damaged  plantations  requires 
disbursements  far  above  the  normal. 

The  condition  of  the  Jewish  laborers  is  still  worse, 
hor  lack  of  cash  the  colonists  are  unable  to  offer  them 
remunerative  emplojunent,  while  they  have  no  savings 
or  resources  of  their  own  on  which  to  fall  back. 

The  situation  is  indeed  grave,  and  it  is  hard  to  tell  how 
it  would  have  been  met  were  it  not  for  the  assistance 
sent  from  America.  Thanks  to  this  assistance  the 
National  Fund  was  enabled  to  give  employment  to  a 
large  number  of  laborers.  Many  of  them  were  doubtless 
assisted  by  the  Palestine  Labor  Fund  of  the  American 
Poalei  Zion.  Some  succor  was  granted  them  from  the 
general  war  relief  funds  as  well. 

But  the  colonists  ask  for  no  charity.  All  they  need  is  a 
loan  against  the  guaranty  of  their  possessions.  Our 
American  brethren  have  attempted  to  respond  to  this 
call,  and  a  considerable  part  of  the  required  loan  has 
already  been  transmitted  to  Palestine.  This  will  save 
the  vineyards  and  orange  groves,  and  will  also  create 
employment  for  hundreds  of  our  laborers.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  the  interest  of  America  in  the  fate  of  our 
brave  pioneers  will  not  diminish  until  they  will  have 
recovered  from  the  effects  of  this  crisis. 

The  time  for  writing  the  history  of  the  war  crisis  in 
Palestine  and  of  the  splendid  resistance  put  up  by  the 
entire  New  Yishub  has  not  yet  arrived.  May  the  day 
soon  dawn  when  the  story  will  be  told  with  joy.  It  will 
form  one  of  the  most  thrilling  and  brightest  chapters  in 
the  history  of  the  Jewish  renaissance. 


37 


The  Wailing  Wall 


38 


THE  DEATH  OF  THE  ORCHARD 


IH'  Hemda  ]R]n  Jkiiiida 

Her  name  is  Reniimali,  and  she  is  as  wliite  as  a  pearl. 
Her  braids  are  like  the  golden  flax.  In  her  eyes  the  blue 
heavens  sparkle.  Peninnah  is  the  fairest  of  the  maidens 
of  our  land,  the  most  delicate  and  gracious.  And  all 
our  young  men  dream  of  her.  She  is  good  and  gentle, 
kind-hearted  and  noble. 

Peninnah  cherishes  above  all  things  Erez  Israel,  the 
land  of  her  fathers;  and  Hebrew,  her  mother-tongue, 
is  dearer  to  her  than  any  other  language.  She  loves 
Jerusalem,  the  ancient  capital,  and  all  the  other  towns 
and  villages,  and  especially  the  colonies,  with  their 
vineyards,  their  gardens,  and  their  orchards  brimming 
over  with  oranges  and  lemons,  and  scented  by  the  bloom¬ 
ing  almond-trees. 

When  Peninnah  comes  into  the  orchard  the  trees 
stretch  out  their  branches  to  her,  as  if  every  flower  and 
fruit  were  saying,  “Pick  me,  bear  me  away  with  you, 
and  eat  me.”  But  Peninnah,  with  her  soft  white  hand, 
fondles  the  golden  orange  and  warms  the  flowers  with 
her  breath,  and  lends  them  additional  sweetness  and 
fragrance  with  her  kisses. 

Peninnah  loves  every  tree  and  shrub,  the  blue  heavens 
above  her,  and  the  green  grass  beneath  her  feet.  She 
loves  the  ardent  rays  of  the  Palestinian  sun,  and  the 
silvery  light  of  the  moon,  and  the  sable  darkness  of  night, 
with  its  innumerable  twinkling  stars.  She  loves  the 
song  of  the  plowman  when  he  goes  to  work,  the 


39 


twittering  of  the  birds,  and  the  mellow  sounds  of  the 
Hebrew  which  the  mother  murmurs  to  her  child;  the 
sturdy,  sun-burned  youths,  the  flocks  of  sheep  which  re¬ 
turn  to  the  colony  at  sunset,  and  the  far-away  tones  of 
the  shepherd’s  lute. 

All  her  life  is  a  happy  and  beautiful  song. 

*  *  * 


Woe! 

What  tumult  is  this? 

Why  this  clashing  of  swords,  and  this  roaring  of  can¬ 
nons? 

War  is  in  the  land. 

The  two  pink  roses  in  Peninnah’s  cheeks  have  faded 
Her  lips  tremble  pitifully.  The  sky-blue  of  her  eyes  is 
clouded,  and  the  soft  tears  flow  like  summer  rain.  Only 
the  flaxen  hair  still  glistens  like  a  crown  of  gold  about 
her  head. 

‘Teninnah,  my  child,  calm  yourself!”  beseeches  her 
mother. 

'‘Apple  of  my  eye,  have  faith  in  our  future!”  says  her 
father  encouragingly. 

“Peninnah,  the  daughters  of  Zion  will  be  protected  by 
her  sons!”  she  hears  from  all  sides. 

But  Peninnah  does  not  answer.  She  vanishes  and  is 
not  to  be  found.  With  hurried  steps  she  leaves  her 
home — behold  her  beyond  the  hedge  of  the  garden. 
She  glides  like  a  shadow  down  the  road,  and  is  seen  no 
more.  From  early  morning  to  long  after  dark  she  is 
hard  at  work.  She  gathers  food  for  the  hungry,  dis- 


40 


tributes  clothing  to  the  poor,  cares  for  the  sick,  and 
comforts  the  needy  and  unfortunate. 

But  at  daybreak,  before  the  weary  people  awaken  to 
the  cares  of  the  day,  Peninnah  tries  to  find  consolation. 
She  goes  to  the  fragrant  orchard,  passes  from  one  tree 
to  another,  and  rests  her  cheek  on  a  golden  orange,  bathed 
in  the  dew  of  morning.  She  delights  in  the  scarlet  glow 
of  the  ripe  pear,  inhales  the  perfume  of  the  apple,  and 
approaches  her  lips  to  the  etrog  as  if  in  prayer.  .  .  . 

The  clang  of  bayonets,  the  hideous  bloodshed,  the  un¬ 
happy  mothers  whose  sons  have  left  them  forever,  the 
helpless  old  men,  the  sobbing  orphans — Peninnah  forgets 
them  all  in  these  moments.  A  divine  smile  illumines  her 
countenance  as  her  eyes  turn  to  the  water-pipes  which 
run  from  one  plant  to  another.  It  would  almost  seem  as 
if  she  held  secret  converse  with  the  trickling  of  the  water. 

H<  *  * 

The  long,  long  months  of  the  war  pass  slowly  by.  Want 
and  suffering  are  everywhere,  and  dire  poverty  is  abroad. 
The  icy  hand  of  despair  clutches  at  every  heart.  The 
course  of  daily  life  is  interrupted  in  our  cities  and  colonies. 
Even  the  orchard  is  neglected.  The  oranges  are  not 
gathered  because  there  are  no  boats  to  bear  them  over 
the  seas,  and  they  cover  the  ground  like  a  golden  carpet. 
The  heavy  etrogim  weigh  the  branches  downward.  The 
almonds  darken  on  the  trees  for  there  are  no  hands  to 
pick  them,  the  apples  decay,  the  grai)es  dry  in  the  vine¬ 
yards;  even  the  leaves  wither  and  the  trees  droop.  And 
the  water-pipes  are  still,  because  the  motors  have  been 
removed. 


41 


Peninnah  stands  with  ])owcd  head  in  the  orchard,  for 
she  knows  that  it  is  dying.  Her  young  life  surges  in  her 
breast  like  the  billows  on  the  ocean,  and  she  moans:  “I 
cannot  live,  I  cannot  .  . 


42 


THE  INDICTMENT  OF  ZIONISTS  IN  PALESTINE 

By  M.  Sheinkin 

The  first  Zionist  to  be  arrested  was  Manya  Vill- 
bushevitch,  who,  with  her  husband,  Israel  Shochat,  had 
been  instrumental  in  forming  the  organization  of  the 
shomrim.  It  seems  that  this  arrest  was  made  in  con¬ 
nection  with  this  question.  Their  names  of  the  shomrim 
had  been  found  in  the  books  of  a  Jaffa  store-keeper  who 
had  sold  them  firearms.  While  on  trial  she  was  ques¬ 
tioned  about  the  aims  of  the  Zionist  movement,  which 
she  made  no  attempt  to  conceal,  stating,  however,  that 
they  were  in  no  way  opposed  to  the  interests  of  Turkey. 
She  did  not  hesitate  to  speak  her  mind  freely.  “It  is 
unfortunate,”  she  said,  “that  we  have  always  had  to 
use  roundabout  methods,  and  to  do  our  work  with  the 
help  of  ‘baksheesh’  because  the  Turkish  officials  do  not 
serve  their  country  loyally.  Now  we  hope  that  more  whole¬ 
some  conditions  will  prevail,  for  the  sake  of  the  work 
which  is  useful  and  necessary  both  for  us  and  for  you.” 

A  few  weeks  later  (about  the  middle  of  Fel)ruaiy,  1915) 
Djemal  Pasha,  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  Syrian 
army,  ordered  that  over  twenty  of  the  most  prominent 
Zionists  should  appear  before  him  in  Jerusalem:  fifteen 
from  Jaffa,  (among  them  the  Turkish  teacher  of  the 
Gymnasia,)  five  or  six  from  the  Judaean  colonies,  and 
several  from  Jerusalem  itself.  The  “guests”  were  accom¬ 
panied  by  hundreds  of  people,  who  felt  ])roud,  and  at  the 
same  time  rather  bitter,  as  they  drove  through  Tel-Aviv. 
“Well”,  said  they,  “the  government  is  interested  in  us 
after  all.  Up  to  now  they  have  considered  us  a  mere 


43 


group  of  immigrants,  and  now  we  have  suddenly  become 
a  political  faction.  But  how  will  this  end,  or  rather  what 
have  they  up  their  sleeves?” 

Arrived  in  Jerusalem  they  were  brought  directly  before 
Djemal  Pasha.  He  gazed  at  them  sternly  and  said; 
“Be  in  readiness,  for  in  ten  days  I  am  going  to  send  you 
to  Constantinople.”  (The  Turkish  teacher  of  the  Gym¬ 
nasia  had  the  temerity  to  answer  him,  and  was  forthwith 
arrested  and  sent  to  Constantinople.) 

These  people  sent  a  petition  to  Djemal  Pasha  that  he 
should  receive  a  delegation  of  two,  explain  to  them  the 


Djemal  Pasha  and  His  Friends 


44 


cause  of  the  arrest,  and  give  them  an  opportunity  to 
plead  their  cause.  He  agreed  to  receive  one  of  them, 
Antebi,  After  an  hour’s  audience  Djemal  Pasha  ordered 
that  instead  of  being  sent  to  Constantinople  they  should 
leave  Jerusalem  for  a  few  weeks.  It  would  have  been 
sufficient  for  them  to  go  as  far  as  Zichron- Jacob  or  Hederah, 
but  they  went  to  Haifa  and  Tiberias. 

Ten  days  later  the  Jaffa  officials  "invited”  seven  other 
Zionists.  It  may  have  been  nothing  but  a  coincidence, 
but  these  seven  had  been  delegates  from  Palestine  to  the 
last  Congress.  On  this  occasion  I  also  was  honored  by 
an  invitation.  We  were  brought  back  to  Tel- Aviv 
escorted  by  a  number  of  military  and  civil  officials.  The 
gendarmes  were  there  to  receive  us.  Each  one  of  us  was 
taken  to  his  home,  which  was  thoroughly  searched.  All 
papers  and  documents,  as  well  as  brochures  and  pictures 
which  seemed  to  have  any  relation  to  the  Zionist  move¬ 
ment  were  confiscated,  and  we  were  removed  to  the 
military  headquarters. 

All  the  inhabitants  of  Tel-Aviv  were  filled  with  terror. 
They  thought  that  we  would  be  led  to  the  scaffold  that 
very  day.  We  were  told  afterwards  that  hundreds  of 
the  working-people  were  on  the  point  of  going  to  the 
officials  and  declaring  that  they  too  were  culpable  of 
whatever  crime  we  were  to  be  punished  for.  Soon  the 
news  of  these  events  was  telegraphed  to  Constantinople 
as  well  as  to  foreign  countries.  Those  of  us  who  had 
been  arrested  were  meanwhile  peacefully  sitting  under 
lock  and  key  in  the  military  prison.  Several  hours  later 
we  were  taken  to  the  waiting  room,  where  we  were  allowed 


45 


to  see  our  friends.  At  night  thc}^  moved  us  to  the  French 
Hospital,  where  we  were  given  a  large  hall,  with  clean, 
soft  beds  anti  the  best  of  service.  (One  of  our  number 
had  been  left  in  his  home  in  Tel-Aviv  by  mistake.  Sud¬ 
denly,  late  at  night,  the  officials  remembered  his  existence, 
and  had  him  brought  to  the  Hospital.) 

Every  morning  and  evening  we  underwent  a  thorough 
cross-examination.  At  first  they  tried  to  worm  our 
‘‘secrets”  out  of  us  by  threats,  and  to  make  us  confess 
who  were  the  leaders  of  our  movement  in  Palestine. 
We  answered  proudly  that  they  had  no  reason  to  suspect 
us,  that  we  had  no  secrets,  and  that  furthermore  we 
ourselves  were  the  leaders  of  the  Zionist  movement. 
They  finally  asked  us  to  produce  the  flag  of  the  Hebrew 
Gymnasia.  They  had  found  the  photograph  of  a  number 
of  pupils  grouped  under  a  flag  bearing  a  Hebrew  inscrip¬ 
tion.  This  picture  had  been  taken  at  the  time  when 
they  had  only  a  pennant  at  the  Gymnasia.  But  Dr. 
Mossinsohn,  the  Director,  was  forced  to  go  there  in  the 
middle  of  the  night  and  look  up  an  old,  torn  pennant 
with  an  inscription.  The  prosecutor  realized  that  he 
had  not  made  any  discoveries,  and  that  there  were  no 
dangerous  plots  to  be  found  in  the  documents. 

A  few  days  later  we  were  ordered  to  go  to  Jerusalem, 
where  our  trial  was  to  be  continued.  We  went  to  the 
station  guarded  by  a  gendarme  and  accompanied  by  our 
families  and  hundreds  of  our  Jews.  The  pupils  of  the 
Gymnasia  and  all  the  inhabitants  of  Tel-Aviv  saluted 
the  train  as  it  went  b3^  Arrived  in  Jerusalem  the  gen¬ 
darme  took  us  to  police  heatlquarters,  for  Avhich  action 


40 


he  was  severely  reprimanded.  We  were  told  to  go  to  the 
hotel,  and  there  to  hold  ourselves  in  readiness  to  be  sum¬ 
moned  to  a  cross-examination.  But  we  had  enough  time  to 
play  chess,  to  study  Arabic,  to  pay  visits  and  receive 
them,  and  even  to  attend  Zionist  as  well  as  other  meetings. 

Each  day  one  or  two  of  us  were  summoned  to  a  cross- 
examination  which  usually  lasted  about  an  hour.  We 
gave  the  prosecutor  a  complete  course  in  the  history  of 
Zionism,  the  Congresses,  and  all  our  institutions,  such 
as  the  Geulah  and  Tel-Aviv.  The  interpreter,  who 
translated  from  Turkish  to  Hebrew  and  vice-versa,  was 
a  Jew.  Our  straightforwardness,  our  serenity  and  fear¬ 
lessness  seemed  to  have  made  an  excellent  impression 
on  the  prosecutor.  After  a  ten  days’  stay  in  Jerusalem 
we  were  freed  and  allowed  to  go  home  to  Jaffa.  As  the 
prosecutor  had  not  found  any  evidence  against  us  he 
gave  us  back  all  the  papers  which  had  been  confiscated. 
But  nevertheless  he  said  that  he  was  convinced  that 
Zionism  was  harmful  to  the  Turkish  Empire,  and  that 
he  would  report  his  opinion  in  Constantinople.  On  the 
other  hand  it  is  a  fact  that  Djemal  Pasha,  who  had  just 
returned  from  the  Suez  expedition,  received  a  telegram 
from  Constantinople  telling  him  not  to  persecute  us 
because  of  our  Zionist  tendencies. 

During  our  detention  in  Jerusalem  two  of  the  Poalei  Zion, 
Ben-Zwi  and  Ben-Gourion,  had  been  arrested.  These  men 
issued  a  statement  describing  the  work  of  their  organiza¬ 
tion,  and  were  liberated.  Djemal  Pasha,  however,  abso¬ 
lutely  refused  to  free  Manya  Villbushevitch  and  her  hus¬ 
band,  as  well  as  Mr.  Hankin.  These  two  men  had  been 


47 


“invited”  with  the  first  group  of  “guests”,  but  had 
arrived  after  Djemal  Pasha  had  left  for  Suez.  It  was 
understood  that  they  were  merely  to  await  his  return, 
but  nevertheless  they  continued  to  be  held  under  arrest. 
A  young  Zionist  of  Jerusalem,  the  director  of  the  Bet- Am, 
Mr.  Lomer,  was  also  imprisoned.  A  few  weeks  after  we 
had  been  released,  Djemal  Pasha  ordered  that  Manya 
Villbushevitch,  her  husband,  and  Mr.  Hankin  should  be 
sent  to  Constantinople.  (IManya  Villbushevitch  had 
already  on  a  former  occasion  appeared  before  a  military 
tribunal  in  Damascus  and  had  been  found  guilty.) 

At  about  the  same  time,  Dr.  Mossinsohn,  the  above- 
mentioned  Poalei  Zion,  and  Mr.  Lomer  were  banished 
from  the  country.  This  followed  closely  on  Djemal 
Pasha’s  visit  to  Tel-Aviv,  where  he  had  had  a  friendly 
talk  with  the  Zionist  leaders  in  the  Gymnasia.  He  had 
sent  a  proclamation  by  telegram  through  all  Syria  stating 
that  he  was  convinced  of  the  loyalty  of  the  Jews,  and 
that  anyone  who  spread  unfavorable  reports  about  the 
Jews  would  be  severely  punished. 

We  had  believed  that  this  would  put  an  end  to  the 
persecutions  of  the  Zionist  leaders.  But  suddenly,  in 
the  month  of  May,  1915,  a  mandate  was  issued  by  Djemal 
Pasha  that  fifty  Jews,  the  directors  of  various  institutions 
and  organizations,  should  not  be  allowed  to  become 
Turkish  subjects,  and  should  consequently  be  banished 
from  the  country  as  Russian  subjects.  Now  a  second 
petition  was  sent  to  Djemal  Pasha.  He  consented  to  let 
the  old  people  remain,  and  was  later  persuaded  to  extend 
his  clemency  to  the  teachers,  (with  the  exception  of  the 


48 


chairman  of  the  teachers’  league,  Dr.  Luria,)  and  the 
members  of  the  Vaad  of  Tel- Aviv,  as  well  as  to  several  men 
who  had  made  use  of  private  intercession.  The  decree 
remained  in  force  in  the  case  of  ten  people.  It  is  possible 
that  with  the  help  of  further  intercession  they  also  might 
have  been  allowed  to  remain.  But  at  that  time  a  hundred 
fifty  of  the  most  prominent  Arabs  were  accused  of  treason 
and  subsequently  hanged.  After  this  it  seemed  unwise 
to  continue  to  intercede  in  behalf  of  ten  Zionists  who  were 
moreover  subjects  of  a  hostile  power. 

And  so  several  of  these  ten  Zionists  left  the  country. 
The  others  employed  ‘‘underhand”  methods;  whenever 
a  boat  was  to  leave  Jaffa  they  were  not  to  be  found  at 
home  and  the  police  did  not  attempt  to  discover  their 
whereabouts.  Toward  the  end  of  August  Djemal  Pasha 
ordered  that  we  should  be  kept  under  arrest  until  a  boat 
should  arrive.  We  were  confined  in  a  house  in  Tel-Aviv 
under  police  supervision.  They  allowed  us  to  go  home 
three  times  a  day  for  our  meals,  and  also  to  receive  visitors. 
News  came  from  Constantinople  that  we  were  not  to  be 
banished  after  all.  We  would  have  been  able  to  arrange 
that  no  American  ship  should  land  in  Jaffa  until  we  had 
been  freed;  but  there  were  several  hundred  Jews  in 
Jaffa  who  were  not  willing  to  become  Turkish  subjects, 
and  were  anxious  to  leave  Palestine.  They  were  arrested 
and  treated  much  more  severely  than  we  were,  having 
to  put  up  with  poor  and  unhygienic  quarters.  These 
people  reproached  us  bitterly  because,  as  they  said,  it 
was  our  fault  that  they  were  compelled  to  suffer.  In 
consequence  we  ourselves  had  to  request  that  an  American 


49 


boat  should  land  in  Jaffa.  (August  20,  1915.)  It  was 
not  until  we,  the  banished  Zionists,  had  boarded  the  ship, 
that  these  other  people  were  allowed  to  leave. 

These,  then,  are  the  facts.  It  is  hard  to  distinguish 
between  tragic  and  comic,  lietween  kindness,  incon¬ 
sistency,  and  tyranny.  One  thing  must  be  said:  if  the 
Jews  had  been  implicated  in  a  similar  affair  in  any  “civil¬ 
ized”  country  which  was  at  war,  not  one  of  them  would 
be  alive  to  write  an  article  about  it.  Perhaps  this  would 
be  in  accord  with  logic  and  discipline;  perhaps  it  would 
be  a  good  thing  for  Zionism,  as  the  names  of  the  martyrs 
would  go  down  in  history.  But  what  shall  we  do?  Tur¬ 
key  is  Turkey,  and  its  methods  are  unique. 


50 


THE  SHOMER 


By  Mordecai  Bernstein 


Galilee. 

A  still  and  limpid  sea.  A  deep  blue  sky.  IMoonlight 
nights,  pale  and  soft,  quivering  with  dreams  and  longing. 
Springs,  bubbling  unvaryingly  and  drowsily.  Wide, 
wide  green  fields,  rejoicing  the  eye.  A  childlike  and 
innocent  smile.  Peace,  everywhere  peace. 

Galilee. 

Lofty  hills  piercing  the  rolling  clouds,  shadowy  and 
mysterious  caverns,  awe-inspiring  rocks,  gray  and  dismal. 
A  burning  sun,  heating  the  blood.  Dark  nights,  filled 
with  ominous  gusts  of  wind,  and  the  yelping  of  the  jackal. 
Whistling  storms,  uprooting  the  ver}'  rocks.  Wild  kicking 
mules.  Eyes  that  shoot  darts  of  green  hell-fire.  Strife, 
everywhere  strife. 

The  angel  of  peace  has  sjn-ead  his  gleaming  wings  over 
the  fruitful  valleys,  bathed  in  sunlight,  the  valleys  of 
Galilee.  And  the  spirit  of  war  has  fortified  his  stronghold 
in  the  midst  of  the  proud  mountains,  the  mountains 
looming  black  against  the  crimson  sunset,  the  mountains 
of  Galilee. 

Once  in  Galilee  there  was  born  a  great  Jew,  ]ialc  and 
bloodless,  dreaming  dreams  of  universal  peace.  In 
Galilee,  too,  the  ardent  Zealot  came  into  being,  trumpet¬ 
ing  forth  a  battle-cry  to  his  people. 

In  Galilee  the  Fellah  plows  his  field  idly  and  indolently. 


51 


humming  a  plaintive  and  monotonous  song,  while  a  huge 
camel  with  a  hoary  mane  drags  his  wooden  plow  slowly 
forward.  In  Galilee  the  Fellah  furrows  the  rich  soil  with 
a  primitive  plow — a  sharp  stick — to  which  his  wife  and 
his  ass  are  harnessed.  The  Arab  is  simple  and  good- 
natured.  He  loves  his  wife  and  he  loves  his  ass,  and  he 
apportions  the  strokes  of  his  long  whip  impartially  to 
right  and  to  left. 

And  in  Galilee  too  a  band  of  prowling  robl)ers  wander 
by  night  on  their  black  horses  in  the  impenetrable  shadows 
of  the  mountains,  and  lurk  near  the  roads  and  the  narrow 
paths.  And  the  witches  and  the  spirits  dancing  in  an 
eerie  revel,  leap  madly  from  summit  to  summit  over  the 
yawning  chasms,  and  slink  away  to  the  hidden  clefts  of 
the  rocks  when  the  stars  begin  to  pale. 

*  >t:  * 

The  true  Palestinian  farmer — ■  not  the  merchant  who 
has  his  fields  cultivated  by  Arabs  and  employs  one 
Jewish  worlcman  as  a  sort  of  talisman — the  one  who 
is  a  broad-shouldered,  sunburnt  man,  with  toilworn 
hands,  who  labors  together  with  his  family  the  portion 
which  the  Lord  has  given  him,  who  is  heedless  of  the 
penetrating  vdnter  rains,  or  the  mountain  storms,  or  the 
burning  heat  of  the  summer  noon, — he  is  a  child  of  Galilee. 

The  true  Palestinian  workman — not  the  cynic  who 
works  in  bitterness  and  discontent  with  himself  and  his 
brother — the  one  who  is  a  visionary,  who  gives  himself 
with  reverent  love  to  the  all-absorbing  task  of  regaining 


the  Land  of  Israel  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  who  main¬ 
tains  his  unshaken  confidence  in  a  national  resurrec¬ 
tion,  who  revives  the  ancient  songs  of  his  people,  and 
straightens  his  bent  form  in  a  joyous  dance, — he  is  a 
child  of  Galilee. 

And  the  ardent  shomer  who  shields  the  land  with  his 
body,  and  clutches  it  in  talons  of  steel,  who  gives 
his  life  before  relinquishing  his  prize,  the  shomer  whose 
smile  is  as  serene  as  Kinneret  and  whose  anger  is  like 
a  raging  torrent,  who  gallops  till  his  savage  horse  is  covered 
with  froth,  who  loves  with  a  fiery  love  and  hates  with  a 
steely  hate,  who  wounds  and  kills,  and  dances  in  mad 
abandon  to  his  death, — he  too  is  a  child  of  Galilee. 

The  men  of  peace  and  the  men  of  strife— they  are 
all  children  of  Galilee! 

*  *  * 

I  met  him  in  the  Yeshibah,  a  tall  and  careworn  youth, 
bent  by  the  weight  of  the  massive  volumes  of  the  Talmud, 
his  eyes  glued  to  the  ground,  glancing  apprehensively 
at  his  very  shadow,  trembling  at  the  hoarse  bark  of  the 
slinking  cur,  fleeing  from  the  coarse  gibes  of  the  taunting 
shegetz. 

I  met  him  again  in  Sedjera,  proud  and  erect  of  figure, 
keen  of  eye,  easy  of  movement,  full  of  confidence  in 
himself.  His  brawny  hand  stroked  the  mane  of  his 
prancing  horse.  I  recognized  a  Hebrew  shomer. 

Such  is  the  miraculous  power  of  the  land,  of  the  feeling 
“this  is  mine”.  Are  thirty  years  enough  to  transfigure 
the  aspect  of  a  generation?  Are  thirty  years  enough  to 


53 


cleanse  the  soul  from  the  dust  that  has  lain  on  it  for  two 
thousand  years?  Are  thirty  years  enough  to  weave  a 
young  and  vigorous  body  around  a  quickened  and  regen¬ 
erated  soul? 

Yes!  Look  at  the  shomer. 

*  *  * 

“The  Jews  are  a  timorous  people.”  These  words  have 
Ix'en  drummed  into  our  ears  for  hundreds  of  years.  They 
say  that  we  are  a  people  without  order  or  system,  a  people 
lacking  in  discipline.  How  humiliating  have  been  the 
ignoble  gibes,  the  vicious  sneers!  The  murmur  of  the 
multitudes  has  penetrated  into  our  unwilling  ears  and 
reached  to  our  innermost  souls.  And  it  has  become  so 
much  a  part  of  us  that,  sometimes,  when  it  ceases  for  a 
moment,  we  with  our  own  lips  whisper  it  to  one  another. 

Rut  is  it  true?  See,  for  only  thirty  years  the  Jews 
have  inhaled  the  pure  air  of  their  own  land,  for  only 
thirty  years  they  have  tilled  the  soil  which  they  claim 
in  the  face  of  all  the  world  as  theirs  and  theirs  only.  And 
the  shomer  came  into  being.  Did  you  meet,  in  your 
wanderings  through  the  world,  men  who  know  no  fear, 
men  with  .staunch  hearts  and  great  souls  who  have  given 
themselves  wholly  to  an  overmastering  idea,  men  who 
achieve  immortality  in  a  single  moment?  If  you  have 
met  such  men,  it  must  have  been  in  Erez  Israel.  You 
must  have  seen  the  Jewish  guardians  of  a  Jewish  land. 

Discipline?  No  punishment  by  death  threatens  them, 
nor  any  chastisement  other  than  the  repeal  of  the  glorious 
title  of  Jewish  shomer.  Did  the  head  of  the  shomrim 


54 


ever  give  a  eommand  which  his  sul)or(linates  did  not 
carry  out  to  the  letter,  even  though  they  did  not  perceive 
any  reason  for  it,  and  even  though  this  eommand  sent 
them  to  meet  certain  death?  Is  this  not  perfect  dis¬ 
cipline,  blind  obedience? 

And  order?  The  whole  land  was  guarded  by  only 
three  hundred  shomrim.  And  yet,  whatever  colony 
you  passed  through,  you  saw  the  shomrim;  on  the  roads 
and  the  paths  you  came  upon  them;  shomrim  on  the 
mountains,  shomrim  in  the  valleys,  shomrim  behind 
the  thorny  cactus,  shomrim  near  the  poor  huts,  shomrim 
dancing  at  festivals  and  weddings.  But  they  say  that 
the  shomrim  sleep  soundly  all  the  day!  Is  this  not  a 
sign  of  consummate  order,  of  iron  system? 

=(:  *  * 

I  asked  many  shomrim  who  was  the  first  to  conceive 
the  idea  of  the  shomer.  And  every  one  answered  that 
he  himself  had  been  its  originator.  And  what  is  more, 
I  inquired  among  the  working  men  v.'ho  had  been  in 
Palestine  for  a  long  time,  in  the  hope  of  getting  at  the 
truth.  And  how  astonished  I  was  to  find  that  every 
one  proved  to  me  by  undeniable  facts  that  he  himself 
had  been  the  first  to  declare  that  none  but  Jews  should 
protect  the  Jewish  land. 

Who  created  the  shomer?  Nobody  and  everybody. 
And  only  because  the.  shomer  is  a  creation  of  the  whole 
people  has  he  been  enabled  to  spread  his  wings  over 
the  whole  land  in  so  short  a  time.  And  yet,  only  eight 


55 


years  ago  the  organization  of  shomrim  consisted  of  one 
man,  the  shomer  in  Sedjera. 

Such  is  the  miraculous  power  of  the  soil.  A  single 
grain  is  planted,  and  soon  a  tiny  sprout  grows  into  a 
flourishing  plant,  which  bears  hundreds  and  hundreds 
of  grains. 

And  you  stand  and  wonder.  Whence  came  all  this 
abundance?  Could  it  have  come  from  one  solitary  grain? 

And  whence  came  the  shomer? 

The  shomer  demonstrates  to  the  whole  world  as  well 
as  to  us  what  we  are.  He  reveals  to  us  the  true  soul 
of  the  nation,  proud  and  aristocratic,  which  was  hidden 
by  the  dust  of  the  unending  roads  and  paths  on  which 
we  wandered  for  centuries.  He  reveals  the  image  of 
manhood  on  the  face  of  the  Jew,  the  Jew  who  belongs 
to  all  times  and  all  countries.  But  the  shomer  is  only 
one  of  the  symbols  of  the  regeneration.  And  the 
others?  .  .  . 

Such  is  the  miraculous  power  of  the  soil. 


56 


r 


f 


t 


PRESS  OF  CLARENCE  S.  NATHAN,  INC.,  NEW  YORK. 


